PTI old guards question leadership

Delay in Noorani commission report about corruption in party ranks

LAHORE - PTI founders also known as old guards, are questioning the party leadership about delay in Tasnim Noorani commission report which is expected to unveil the wheel of financial corruption among the party ranks that started during awarding of party tickets to suitable candidates for 2013 general elections. Recently, the tsunami of Imran Khan faced severe heat from founding leaders of the party about the embezzlement of party funds mostly coming from PTI supporters abroad, as the party funding arms especially in the US and Europe stopped sending funds after not getting a clear picture of their funds usage. An old guard of the PTI who left and rejoined the party in the recent past while linking the Noorani commission report to the recent embezzlement of party’s foreign funds told The Nation on Sunday that financial corruption started in the party during the ticket award process for 2013 general polls when many new faces from PML-Q, PPP and PML-N bought their entry and party tickets and those who were involved in this practice did the same with the party funds coming from abroad especially the US and Europe. The PTI had formed a commission last year under the command of Tasnim Noorani to investigate the foul play in the award of party tickets for 2013 general elections after the hue and cry among the party ranks concerning the financial interests of the party leaders who steered party tickets matters that resulted in party defeat in many of the districts of Punjab. The old guard who was believed to be close to party chairman said real findings of Tasnim Noorani commission should be made public to save the party from the interest groups who were steering Imran Khan. The old associate of party chairman informed that Imran Khan under the influence of a group of South Punjab leaders and their under boss from Lahore, strongly reacted to the criticism against the party policies during the core committee meetings, which was supposed to be the prime forum for devising party policies that could benefit or affect the party’s interests domestically and internationally. He said members of the core committee were shown the report of Noorani commission during its meetings took place in the first week of this month. He insisted that report indicated financial corruption in some way on part of the party leaders involved in award of party tickets which resulted in defeat of PTI in various districts of Punjab. The same PTI leader added that recent issue of misappropriation or embezzlement of party funds coming from party supporters abroad was the plan of the same interest groups, which were virtually running the party in the name of Imran’s tsunami. The old guard further informed that core committee members were warned during its meeting this month that any member of the committee would be taken to task if he or she found involved in a single negative finding of the Noorani commission to the media. When asked about the party’s ISO Certification 9000 MoU, the founding PTI leader remarked it would make no difference as those who were steering this programme from the party, falls among the same category that carried out financial misappropriations of party funds. How could a thief catch himself or herself. Ijaz Chaudhry, member core committee and PTI Punjab president, when contacted said, “The core committee meeting most likely to take place on Tuesday (February 18) in Islamabad, will decide making public the Tasnim Noorani commission report and we should wait for the outcome of that meeting.”

This news was published in The Nation newspaper. Read complete newspaper of 17-Feb-2014 here.